Charlotte likes to surround herself with all things pink. She鈥檚 smiling when she鈥檚 eating waffles for breakfast or popcorn and gummies as a snack. She enjoys singing along to her favourite movies or gleefully dancing.
Charlotte鈥檚 chronic lung disease required several hospital stays and a dozen surgeries. Her older brothers, twins Kayden and Kaleb, were constantly worried for their little sister and wanted to know when she鈥檇 be coming home.
鈥淐harlotte鈥檚 medical journey has been quite something for our family, and for herself,鈥� said Charlotte鈥檚 mom, Alicia. Part of Charlotte鈥檚 treatment regimen includes 40-minute breathing exercises once a day and taking medication to keep her airways open and strong. 鈥淗aving a sick kid, you sometimes lose sight in life and become so consumed,鈥� she added. 鈥淵ou have so many tears of worry and stress.鈥�
Charlotte鈥檚 special wish was to visit her favourite theme park in Florida five years ago, when she was three-years-old. The family stayed at Give Kids the World Village, a non-profit resort. Alicia said the whole family packed their bags and left behind their routine of doctor鈥檚 visits and stress. The week-long trip was their first family holiday away from home.
鈥淲hen we were in Florida, I didn鈥檛 see Charlotte as a sick kid,鈥� Alicia said. During the trip Alicia was constantly overcome with tears of happiness and joy which she hadn鈥檛 experienced in years. 鈥淚t was remarkable and unimaginable; I had feelings I haven鈥檛 felt before of what it was to feel like a normal family.鈥�
At the resort, Charlotte and her brothers started every morning with waffles and sprinkles and were treated like 鈥渞oyalty.鈥� Charlotte also surprised her parents when she rode a therapeutic horse. Her mom joked that Charlotte was always terrified of cats, dogs and butterflies, but she rode the same horse three times and wouldn鈥檛 get off!
Once home, Charlotte returned to treatment for her chronic lung condition. Even five years later, Charlotte still talks about her wish experience that brought so much light into her life.
鈥淢agic truly does exist and I鈥檓 so glad we got to experience it as a family,鈥� Alicia said.
Your support helped grant nearly 1,000 life-changing wishes last year, but our need remains great. A child is diagnosed with a critical illness every 20 minutes. With three new children facing critical illnesses each and every hour, the need for is continuous.
